Tuesday, February 23, 2010

I think Ken Robinson was a great speaker because he made some valid and interesting points. I especially liked his comment that "if your not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original." I think the popular saying that "you learn from your mistakes" is relevant to this because once an individual has experienced something for the first time, they are likely to think about the consequences and remember what happened. I agree with him in that "by the time children become adults, most kids have lost the capacity to be wrong, and they have become scared of being wrong." I find this true in myself, because I always find myself being anxious and worried about the outcomes that I lose sight of taking a chance. If I do not think to hard about something than I can allow myself to take the chance. After viewing this video, I think it has given me another perspective and I hope to encourage my students to discover and fulfill a passion they have. I think that if we give students that opportunity to think without having to force so much academic information into their brains, and just allowing them to use their minds creatively we may be surprised in what we can discover. I do not know if there will be room for this is schools. But if I notice a student that I feel has potential for something, I will not let their talents go to waste. I will try my best to encourage and provide the student with what he or she needs. I know that as a kid growing up, my parents appreciated my art works that I would make at school and bring home. I did my best academically, but I was not strong in any academic areas. Art is where I excelled and where I was able to be myself. I am very thankful and glad that my parents have supported me all these years in my interest in art. At the current state of our economy, I think it would be something for college students to think about, to allow themselves to think creatively outside of the box and explore their interests. Since there is not a lot of job opportunities after students graduate from college and many are struggling to find jobs competing with the many people who have been laid off it would definitely be something to consider. Some individuals may think it be best if they postponed college to explore their other options. I understand that college is the key to a good job or career but there have been some successful people that did not even finish or attend college and became successful such as Walt Disney and Micheal Dell.

As a future art teacher, I have a lot to think about because I feel that I have a good amount of information to learn about before I actually start teaching students. I can be hired to teach students anywhere from kindergarten through twelfth grade respectively speaking. My goal is to find a school where they are hiring for an art teacher in the elementary or middle school level. However, due to the lack of many job opportunities as an art teacher, I think I will seize the chance at any opportunity that is offered to me, not only would I have a job but it would be great practice for me to work with students no matter what grade level. This would mean that my unit plans and lesson plans will be different for each grade level as well as the curriculum content standards that I have to incorporate into a lesson. I hope that the school district that I will be teaching in will provide me with some guidance on how to about teaching specific grade levels. I also hope to gain professional development in achieving adequate instructions in reaching the goals set by a curriculum. Furthermore, trying to integrate technology and the 21st century skills into a classroom will take another toll in restructuring my lesson plans.

Since there has been continuing problems regarding companies and businesses hiring new employees just out of college or high school due to their lack of skills and experience. In addition, the global workforce has presented students today with a competitive environment in which many new hires are not ready or competent enough. Furthermore, another issue that was discussed was students should become familiar or knowledgeable in a foreign language because it will be extremely beneficial in working and communicating with others outside of the U.S. I would think that the best way to try and solve this dilemma as many supporters have argued is to integrate 21st skills into the classroom along with the content area classes. As Bailey stated in the Tech & Learning article, “… NCLB does not mandate that measures of average yearly performance be based solely on tests of lower-order thinking skills and that many of the 21st century skills outlined in the partnership’s report are already part of the state standards.” I think that this is great if some standards are already included as part of the 21st century skills. This would mean part of the job is done and that teachers have to acknowledge the skills and make sure students are understanding how to use the skills. I know and I understand that this will take a lot of work on behalf of the teachers but if it’s a solution that can help solve our economic and political problems, I believe implementing the 21st century skills is the key to success.

The article also mentioned schools like Clarke County School District in Georgia where technology skills have been implemented into the classroom despite the lack of funds; have greatly benefited the students.

As the articles emphasized, teaching technology, critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills and the rest of the 21st century skills will help to prepare students for the future; not only as they move on to college but ultimately when they begin working towards their careers. The research has been conducted to show evidence of how students learn and don’t learn, so why do school districts and officials not execute what works for students? I am as shocked as Eeva Reeder an educational consultant on why this topic is still being debated upon. In the article entitled, The value of teaching 21st-century skills by Maura Banta, she states that, “This is not about teaching either academics or skills; this is about blending the two and teaching one using the other.” I think this is very important because I feel that academics come hand in hand with skills. They need each other to function and work effectively; similar to car keys in order to drive a car.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

This technology would be beneficial if an individual had easy access to making an audio. I had some trouble because my laptop does not have a microphone. So I recorded my audio using a friend's laptop but the audio was saved as a WMA not an mp3 format. I tried to look up some information on how to convert a WMA into an mp3 format but I was not understanding all of the terminology. Luckily, Professor Bigsby uploaded a tutorial that I was able to follow step by step.I think I need more practice and exposure to this type of technology for me to be able to help my students. Once I understand how this technology works I think there will be some potential for using this in an art classroom.Having this presentation will allow me to introduce myself to the parents that are unable to make it to the back to school night event. Students would also be able to view this on the teacher web page so they would know what to expect for the class. Just in case they forgot, what the class goals and objectives are.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

The benefits and potential use of making a slide presentation to parents and students is that they will be able to have a visual of my explanations. A slide presentation also has lasting effect on viewers because they will have the option of looking at the presentation as many times as they please.In addition, if I happened to be sick and may have to be out for a long period of time I can create slide presentations and post them on my teacher web page for students to access. Or if I have to travel for a teacher conference this would be a great way to stay connected and communicate with my students.I would like to include a lesson in teaching my students how to create a slide presentation so that they too can receive the benefits of using this wonderful tool.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Standard 8.1 Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge.B. Creativity and InnovationBy the end of grade 4Content Statement: The use of digital tools and media-rich resources enhances creativity and the construction of knowledgeCPI#8.1.4.B.1Cummulative Progress Indicator (CPI): Produce a media-rich digital story about a significant local event or issue based on first-person interviews.

The students are expected to know the the functions of various digital tools. For example if using Paint on the computer they should be able to recognize which tool can make a geometric shape or which tool will fill in a color. In addition, students are expected to do various tasks using media-rich resources. If a student is in a district that may be more affluent, they may have access to Mac computer in the classroom and may be able to navigate a Mac using all of its capabilities. Furthermore, they may also have access to Photoshop which has a great deal of graphic media that students can explore.

Based on the CPI, as an art teacher I will have my students first conduct an interview about a local event or issue. An example of this can be a fundraiser that occurred in the school or town or a community service event such as a park clean-up.The necessary materials or equipment will be having a camera or a digital video camera, or Adobe Reader or iMovie and a Mac. As well as access to a computer. They will need to interview someone that attended the event then ask for pictures if they have any. Or take pictures of the person they are interviewing. Or attend the event themselves. They may need to ask for permission to take pictures or record at the event so I will have a letter ready to provide the host of the event. As part of the assignment, the students needs to include at least 3 main important points of why the event or issue occurred. In addition, there should be a title page where they will include their name, date, and class period. They will need to think about what colors they will be using as well as an appropriate font.I will let them know as part of their project, they need to include pictures and audio. I will demonstrate and show them an example of how a finished product may look like in a power point presentation . I will also tell them to be creative and use their imagination in exploring what the possibilities can be.Lastly, they will present their assignment in front of the class.This standard states that this is what students should have learned by the end of fourth grade but I think it would be more appropriate for the end of sixth grade. But I could be wrong since schools nowadays are for the most part trying to include technology into the classroom. My students my be somewhat proficient in these skills already by the time I meet them.

I thinkthe district will need to provide schools with resources, materials, and necessary equipment to aid schools in fulfilling the technology standards. The schools may need to offer a class just in integrating technology similar to our class now in order for students to get a feel for how technology works and what the different uses of technology can be. This will allow students to gain valuable insight about technology teaching them critical thinking skills and on-line literacy. As a teacher, these standards will affect me in my development and pedagogy because I will need to think of ways to include technology into my lesson plans to expose my students just in case the district I am teaching in can not afford to have an additional class for integrating technology. I can remember that when I was in elementary school I think I was in fifth grade we had computer class once a week where they taught us about the different uses of a computer and introduced us to the internet and e-mailing. I will continue to develop by learning more about technology as it continues to change. Furthermore, by trying to keep up with the changes I will be better off in serving my students by informing them about what it going on. When I begin my job search and interview, I will keep in mind these standards. I will be looking for a district and school that will be able to provide me with what I can use to teach my students such as access to the internet and computers and perhaps textbooks. If however, I have difficulty in finding a position due to the lack of technology the school offers I will try my best by incorporating as much technology into the classroom as possible.